Welcome Back
by Sunlit-Dreamer
Summary: After being gone for 12 years, Sasuke returns to see the small changes that's occurred.


A/N: Eh heh…hey there…I'M SORRY! I'LL UPDATE THE CHAPTER STORIES SOON! I PROMISE! It's just that…I'm stuck at a fight scene now in one of my stories. And I'm HORRIBLE at writing fight scenes. Why? There are all those attacks with their names and…I just plain suck at writing normal fight scenes too. So I'm going to be asking for help from someone. Well, hopefully you'll like this one shot. No romance or anything. –gasp- Enjoy! -listening to Song For…by Dear-

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Disclaimer: I only own Aya and Shuichiro. Everyone else belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Welcome Back

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It was strange, the day he arrived. Even after his goals were accomplished, he didn't return. Instead, he traveled throughout Japan. After several years, he decided to come back. And here he was, in Konoha. No girls were throwing themselves at hi. No ninja was glaring at him. No one was even shouting, "Sasuke's in the village! Capture him!"

It all just felt…off. Sure, he met with the Hokage, nearly making an expression at the familiar ramen loving prankster. But he didn't yell or glare, or even have that silly grin. Just a small smile and a-

"Welcome back teme." His hand in view, there was Sasuke's headband, the scratch still in place. Slowly taking it, he tired it around his forehead, Naruto nodding with his fist out. Sasuke closing his eyes, he gently punched Naruto's fist, just like when they were still a team.

With that, Sasuke left, curious to see how the others were doing. Although two people were at the top of the list, he had no idea where to find them. Instead, he just wondered around the village to observe the changes, looking for signs of any familiar ninja.

He stopped in front of a flower shop, recognizing the name. It was possible she was in there, and if not, he could always ask her best friend, Ino. Then again, it was a flower shop. It would be very strange to see an Uchiha entering such a place.

Swallowing his pride, he walked into the store, the scent of flowers overwhelming him. Behind the counter was Ino, her back turned. Taking a peek, she spun around with a vase in her hands, a friendly smile on her face.

"Welcome back Sasuke." There was no squealing, no clinging, nothing. She walked around the store, setting the flowers in place. Soon enough, he saw a ring on her finger, and not only that, she had a small bump. Seeing no point in staying, he gave a small and wave and exited the shop.

He continued his little stroll, stopping at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. There he was two familiar men, one eating and the other smoking, Chouji and Shikamaru. His stomach giving a small rumble, he shrugged and took a seat, ordering a miso ramen. Chouji and Shikamaru than noticed him, nodding.

"Welcome back Uchiha." They just sat there, eating. What was there to say, when they weren't that close. Finished eating, he left money on the counter, leaving the two to themselves. This time he had a place in mind, the bridge. He didn't rush, still taking in the views. Eventually, there he was. Sitting on the railing was not who he expected though.

It was his replacement, Sai. Sai didn't acknowledge him, focused on his sketchbook. Not caring for the artist, he crossed the bridge, only to get-

"Welcome back traitor."

"Hn." He continued on, knowing the training grounds were nearby. Still, there was no hurry. He wasn't going to die. No one has been following him. No one was avoiding hi, or ignoring him. He was there, yet he was not. They knew he was there and his name, and vice versa. But he was out of the loop. So far, no one was saying anything, just a greeting. That was all.

He had to see the changes, but that would take time. He was all right with that. He'll start at the bottom, and build his way back up, back to where he used to stand with his former comrades.

In order to do that, he had to at least let them know he was back. On that very day. He wanted the closest to know first, but so far he was failing. But he did know that one of those he had bumped into would let one of the two know.

So he'll just walk, watch everyone and everything, look back and think. Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sai. Surely one of them will tell the other two.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, leaning back slightly to avoid a stray kunai. It seemed the grounds were being used. Three figures came into view, apparently to apologize. As they got closer, he recognized their faces. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. Their expressions showed they were shocked at first, than slowly changed.

"Welcome back." He nodded, pausing when he saw a fourth figure approaching. His eyes widened slightly, giving a small-

"Hmph." The kid picked up the kunai, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry mister. Uncle Kiba's trying to teach me how to throw kunai and shuriken." It was about time, the boy's parents obvious. With that blonde mop and pale eyes, it was as plain as day. With a smirk, he ruffled the boy's hair, amused when the Uzumaki pouted.

Not wanting to disrupt their lesson even further, he leaped into the trees, deciding to search all of the grounds. Surely, they should be around here somewhere? If not his old teacher, than at least his female teammate. Along with Naruto, they were the ones he was closest to.

They were the ones who deserved to know his arrival in the village first, although so far he's had no luck. No matter, he will find them, Naruto would've told him if they were on a mission.

He swiftly passed through the other grounds, neither of them in sight. It was either a rookie team or it was empty. The last one was coming up, and he hoped, no, Uchihas don't hope, wanted one of the two, or both, to be there.

Instead, all he found was a woman beating the sense out of a man. The woman, Tenten. The man, Rock Lee. Tenten seemed to be flustered, but also enraged. Why, he didn't know. Although Lee seemed to be trying to calm her down.

Not one to…eavesdrop, he cleared his throat, blankly staring at the two. Tenten's fist was two centimeters away from Lee's nose, him gulping. Finally realizing they had company, they jumped away from each other, composing themselves.

"Welcome back comrade!" Sasuke gave a mere grunt, curious to why they were fighting earlier. The only clues he had was the tinge of pink on Tenten's face, and the way Lee was fidgeting, his hand playing with something in his pocket.

It quickly hit him, a little surprised. He never would've guessed it would've ended up like this. Lee proposed, to Tenten of all people. Then again, he hasn't had contact with them for years. He left when he was 13, and now, he's 25. 12 whole years, of course things would be different.

Looking at the sky, he noticed how low the sun was, getting closer to touching the earth. It would be dark soon, which would make it more difficult to find his former companions. He returned to the trees, there must've been some place he missed. That's right; there was still the balcony in front of the Hokage Memorial.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he traveled on the roofs, that way he wouldn't have to weave through crowds. Besides, it would be easier to spot their silver and pink hair from above.

He had quite the distance to go, all the way from the edge of the village to the other side. Maybe he shouldn't have been so carefree after all. If he didn't make it, he knew how she'd react. She'd be upset, thinking he was avoiding her on purpose. His teacher, well, he didn't want to pick up his habit of being late and being teased about it.

Passing the hospital he saw a flicker of pink, skidding to a stop. Why didn't he think of that before? She was a medic nin, from what he saw from their last encounter.

His eyes scanned the crowd, smirking when he saw the familiar pink hair, although she seemed a little…taller than usual. Guessing it was just his imagination, he jumped down, passing the other villagers as he caught up to her. Her hair within grabbing distance he spun around in front of her, only to see not one, but two pairs of pale eyes.

He knew she looked taller, it wasn't even her. It was a little girl with long pink hair, sitting on the shoulders of Neji. And both eyes didn't seem shocked at all, unlike him. What surprised him even more was the-

"Welcome back Sasuke-kun!" It wasn't Neji who said this, but the little girl, who was now smiling brightly at him. "You're Mama's and Uncle Naruto's friend Sasuke-kun, right? I'm Aya! Aunt Hinata and Shuichiro told me and Papa that you were at the training grounds, but Papa didn't believe it at first. Right Papa?"

"Aya, you remember what your mother said?" She immediately shut her mouth, giggling.

"Sorry, sometimes I ramble on and on. Papa says I got it from Mama."

"Aya." She giggled again.

"Sorry Papa. Well, bye bye Sasuke-kun!" Neji walked past him, whispering something.

"You won't find her in the hospital." With that, they walked away. Sasuke stared at their backs, pondering Neji's words. Scratching the hospital out, he continued to the memorial.

The sun was setting now, making the clouds a variety of oranges and reds. Children were inside, eating with their families. He was running out of time, just because he decided to take it easy.

An Uchiha never takes the easy way out. That was his mistake.

He stopped, finally finding one of his objectives, leaning against the railing reading. Sasuke knew he noticed him, seeing the small crinkle on the mask.

"Well Sasuke, welcome back." Giving his usual grunt, he stood by his side, staring up at the faces, nearly chuckling when he got to Naruto's. He just stood there, going over the small details he found out. Before he got further, Kakashi closed his book. "I've heard you ran into everyone."

"Hn. Not everyone." Kakashi nodded his head, walking away from the Uchiha.

"Try the old training grounds again. This time, go to the stone, all right?" With that, Kakashi vanished. Sasuke thought over his words, knowing the stone he was talking about. The one with the heroes who died for the village. So, there huh?

On his way to the grounds, he bumped into nearly everyone again. Shikamaru and Chouji were at the flower shop, Chouji rubbing Ino's stomach with a gentle smile, Shikamaru chuckling at the sight. Seems Chouji was the dad, and once again, Sasuke was baffled. People really did change.

After that, he bumped into Sai. It was an awkward moment, him holding flowers. Uchihas do not bring flowers. But Sai didn't know that, so it was okay. At least he managed to get a glance at the artwork, filled with swirls of pink, green, and red. An abstract piece, yet it seemed warm.

Soon, he walked through a familiar path, seeing Shino and Kiba chatting nearby. From what he could hear, Shuichiro was improving, slowly but surely. Although Aya could easily overcome him at throwing weapons if he didn't get serious. To Sasuke, it made sense. Neji and Sakura were very accurate, Naruto a little more reckless and Hinata more timid, the genes showed it all. But who knows, they were still growing.

Without warning, he caught Tenten and Lee holding hands. Lee was absolutely beaming, despite the black eyes and broken nose. And around Tenten's neck was a thin metal chain, a ring dangling from it. It seemed her answer was yes.

Then finally, he arrived. There they stood, Sakura's new family. Naruto was holding Hinata's hand, Shuichiro having a wide grin. Neji was holding on to Aya, who was madly waving at him. They were definitely their kids. And nearby Kakashi was leaning against a tree, yet still somewhat hidden. And it seems Sasuke wasn't the only one who paid a visit to Ino, everyone having a forget-me-not for the deceased, pink haired kunoichi. Stepping forward, he placed the flower on the stone as he kneeled down and whisper.

"Hey Sakura. I'm home now."

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A/N: I actually kinda like how this came out. Yes, I had it planned from the beginning that Sakura would be dead. Hmm. I just wanted to try something different with Sasuke, compared to all those other stories with him returning. Hope you enjoyed reading it!


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